Whitney Dean has been left stunned by a Christmas Eve confession from her vengeful stalker Leo King in EastEnders.
Leo is the son of Whitney's abuser Tony King, having come to Walford to trick her into falling for him as a means of revenge on his dead father's behalf.
It briefly looked as if Leo had thought better of his actions when Whitney explained the torment Tony put her through, until he started stalking her in the Square.
Leo was attacked by Callum Highway (Tony Clay) on Whitney's behalf this week, leading to him being arrested on suspicion of assault and bodily harm just before Christmas.
In Tuesday's Christmas Eve episode (December 24), Callum was full of regrets for potentially ruining his shot at joining the police force.
"No-one ever listens to people like us, Whit. We get walked all over," he vented.
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After apologising to Callum for dragging him into her problems, Whitney decided Halfway had actually come up with the best strategy to 'stand up' to Leo directly.
Whitney reached out to the recently-sacked barrister to demand that he meet her face-to-face at the café to hear what she had to say.
Leo was a no-show at the café, but stunned Whit by approaching her as soon as she left the safety of the crowded diner. Whitney held her ground, demanding that Leo leave Walford and never bother her again.
What Whitney wasn't prepared for was Leo's confession, as he revealed to her: "I believe you [about Tony], everything you said in the hotel… I'm not alone. You get what it was like to have loved him, to still love him. Even though he was what he was.
"I don't want to hurt you. I just want to be close to you."
When Whit insisted her ordeal with Tony was "all in [her] past", Leo horrified her by claiming: "I love you."
The fallout from Leo's declaration of love will continue throughout this festive week!
EastEnders continues on Christmas Day (December 25) at 8.30pm on BBC One.
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